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Greenhags Solar Farm - Prior Information Notice

East Renfrewshire Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

29 Sep 2026 at 01:00

PCS Notice - Website Prior Information Notice
Summary of the contracting process

East Renfrewshire Council is exploring a solar photovoltaic farm and associated renewable-energy development on Council-owned land at Greenhags Waste Transfer Station and Household Waste Recycling Centre in East Renfrewshire. The site includes land associated with a former landfill and operates alongside the existing waste facility. Potential scope includes development, funding, construction, operation and management of solar generation, with possible battery storage or other enabling infrastructure. The Council is also exploring energy offtake arrangements, including private-wire or corporate power purchase agreements, and options involving neighbouring landowners or local energy users. The work is intended to support local renewable electricity generation and carbon reduction, while delivering possible financial, community wealth-building and wider sustainability benefits.

This is a planning-stage market engagement, not an invitation to tender, and the Council has made no commitment to proceed with a procurement or commercial arrangement. It is seeking feedback on market appetite, delivery and funding models, offtake commitments, risk allocation, due diligence and further work needed before deciding whether and how to proceed. The response date is 26 October 2026. The Council expects a possible follow-up notice on 1 July 2027; that is an indicative date, not a bid deadline. The procurement data records a value of £1, but this is not an estimate of the project’s commercial scale. The Council says it will not commit capital or revenue budget: proposals would be developed and funded by suppliers or partners at their own cost and risk, subject to future approvals and requirements.

This market engagement is most relevant to experienced solar developers, renewable-energy investors and infrastructure partners able to develop, fund, operate and manage projects on land with technical and commercial constraints. The Council is testing models including fully funded development, land leases or concessions, power purchase agreements, joint ventures and other risk-sharing structures; battery storage and phased approaches to grid constraints may also be relevant. Suppliers with expertise in grid connection, former landfill and ground conditions, planning, environmental matters, site access and integration with an operating waste facility can help shape viable proposals. The Council is particularly interested in evidence about funding, offtake, risk and due diligence, and in what further investigation would reduce project risk. Interested suppliers can seek the feasibility study and provide market feedback; this is preparation for a possible later process, not a current competition.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Greenhags Solar Farm - Prior Information Notice

Notice Description

East Renfrewshire Council is issuing this Prior Information Notice as a means of market engagement. The Council is not committing to a future procurement, contract award, concession, land lease, power purchase agreement or other commercial arrangement through publication of this notice. Any future opportunity, if progressed, will be subject to the Council's governance, legal, financial and procurement requirements. East Renfrewshire Council wishes to engage with the market to explore potential delivery, funding, development and energy offtake models for a renewable energy opportunity at Greenhags Waste Transfer Station and Household Waste Recycling Centre, which includes Council- owned land associated with a former landfill site. The Council is particularly interested in understanding market appetite for solar photovoltaic development and associated arrangements that could reduce carbon emissions, support local renewable energy generation, and potentially deliver financial, community wealth-building and wider sustainability benefits.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The Greenhags site has previously been considered for large-scale solar generation. The Council commissioned a site appraisal in 2025 to review grid feasibility, site feasibility and high-level cost/revenue considerations. The appraisal indicates that renewable energy development at Greenhags may be technically possible, but that there are significant matters to test further, including electricity grid connection costs and timescales, former landfill/ground conditions, planning and environmental considerations, land constraints, whole lifecycle costs, access and operational interaction with the existing waste facility. The Council now wishes to engage with suitably experienced organisations to understand whether there is market interest in developing the opportunity and what commercial structures may be viable. The Council is open to considering a range of potential models, subject to future approval and due diligence. These may include, but are not limited to: - developer-led or fully funded solar PV development on Council land; - land lease or concession-style arrangements; - Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) models, including private wire, sleeving, corporate PPA or other utility/offtaker structures where lawful and viable; - joint venture, partnering or other risk-sharing arrangements; - integration with Battery Energy Storage Systems or other enabling infrastructure where this strengthens viability; - options involving neighbouring landowners, data centres, or wider local energy opportunities; and - phased or future-proofed development approaches that reflect grid capacity constraints. The purpose of this notice is to gather information and market feedback before the Council decides whether, and how, to proceed. In particular, the Council wishes to understand market appetite; likely delivery/funding structures; minimum information required by the market; the extent to which a PPA or other offtake commitment could support third-party investment; risk allocation; likely due diligence requirements; and what further work the Council should undertake to reduce risk before any formal procurement. Interested suppliers can request a copy of the feasibility study that was carried out by Blake Clough Consulting. This study includes an overview of: Network capacity and local development implications; review of Embedded Capacity Register/TEC Register/TWR/TORI; Summary of gird connection options; Initial environmental and planning assessment; Proposals for development; High level grid-connection costs; High-level solar development costs; and High-level revenue models. The Council purchased electricity via the National Framework Agreement for the Supply of Electricity, which is currently provided under contract by EDF Energy. In 2024/25, the Council purchased 17,009 MWh of electricity. The Council is not obliged to purchase electricity via this framework and is open to proposals that would require the purchase of power from the developed site (e.g. PPA), where this is economically advantageous to the Council. It should be noted that the Council does not intend to commit any capital or revenue budget to this opportunity. Instead, the Council is seeking to make land available as a potential investment opportunity for suitably experienced suppliers or partners to develop, fund, operate and manage proposals at their own cost and risk, subject to any future approvals, agreements and procurement requirements. Interested suppliers are asked to register interest with debbie.hill@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk A copy of the above study and a Request for Information document is provided as attachments to this notice. Responses should be concise and should not include confidential information unless clearly marked as such. Responses will be used only to inform the Council's understanding of market appetite and potential options.. Interested suppliers are asked to register interest with debbie.hill@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000843985
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP565473
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
PCS Notice - Website Prior Information Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

09 - Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy

31 - Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting

65 - Public utilities

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

09310000 - Electricity

09330000 - Solar energy

31121300 - Wind-energy generators

65300000 - Electricity distribution and related services

65310000 - Electricity distribution

65400000 - Other sources of energy supplies and distribution

71314000 - Energy and related services

71314200 - Energy-management services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Jul 20279 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
East Renfrewshire Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
GIFFNOCK
Postcode
G46 6UG
Postcode Area
Glasgow
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM3 West Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM33 Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire
Delivery Location
TLM83 Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire
Local Authority
East Renfrewshire
Electoral Ward
Giffnock and Thornliebank
Westminster Constituency
East Renfrewshire

Further Information

Notice Documents

  • https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=SEP565473&idx=1
    29th September 2026 - Request for Information
  • https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=SEP565473&idx=2
    29th September 2026 - Report
  • https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP565473
    Greenhags Solar Farm - Prior Information Notice - East Renfrewshire Council is issuing this Prior Information Notice as a means of market engagement. The Council is not committing to a future procurement, contract award, concession, land lease, power purchase agreement or other commercial arrangement through publication of this notice. Any future opportunity, if progressed, will be subject to the Council's governance, legal, financial and procurement requirements. East Renfrewshire Council wishes to engage with the market to explore potential delivery, funding, development and energy offtake models for a renewable energy opportunity at Greenhags Waste Transfer Station and Household Waste Recycling Centre, which includes Council- owned land associated with a former landfill site. The Council is particularly interested in understanding market appetite for solar photovoltaic development and associated arrangements that could reduce carbon emissions, support local renewable energy generation, and potentially deliver financial, community wealth-building and wider sustainability benefits.

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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